Camera audit accepter mechanism and camera audit dispensing mechanism

ABSTRACT

A system for receiving and auditing objects according to an embodiment of the invention includes a housing having a front panel, a receiving area, an auditing area, and a drop chute, wherein the receiving area includes a shelf, the front panel includes an opening, a door assembly having a pushing wall and a second pushing wall and assembly moveable between an open position in which an object can be inserted through the opening and into the receiving area, and a closed position in which the door assembly prevents access to the receiving area, wherein the pushing wall moves the object from the shelf into the auditing area as the door assembly closed; and a control system coupled to a camera and switch, wherein the door assembly activates the switch when it is in the closed position, the control system images the object with the camera in response to switch activation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/044,689, filed on Oct. 2, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,317,989, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/709,126, filed on Oct. 2, 2012. Each of the above applications areincorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to automated vending andrecycling.

BACKGROUND

Current automated vending and/or receiving systems often do not permitprecise control of inventory and sale of particular products within thevending systems, or log confirmation of appropriate product delivery orused item receipt. Complex product or object imaging and identificationsystems are costly and often cost prohibitive for stand-alone automatedvending or receiving units, and such components often require greatermaintenance and/or are more sensitive to environmental conditions. Whensomething goes wrong with product receipt and/or product delivery, theowners of such automated systems must often rely solely upon customer oruser input to determine what went wrong.

SUMMARY

A system for receiving and auditing objects according to embodiments ofthe present invention includes a housing having a front panel, areceiving area, an auditing area, and a drop chute, wherein thereceiving area includes a stationary shelf forming a bottom portion ofthe receiving area, wherein the front panel comprises an opening; a doorassembly having a first pushing wall and a second pushing wall, the doorassembly moveable with respect to the housing between an open positionin which the opening at least partially aligns with the receiving areato permit an object to be inserted through the opening and onto thestationary shelf of the receiving area, and a closed position in whichthe door assembly prevents access to the receiving area through thefront panel; wherein the first pushing wall is configured to move theobject from the stationary shelf into the auditing area as the doorassembly is moved from the open position to the closed position; and acontrol system communicably coupled to a camera and a switch, whereinthe door assembly is configured to activate the switch when the doorassembly is in or near the closed position, the control systemconfigured to capture a representation of the object with the camera inresponse to activation of the switch; wherein the second pushing wall isconfigured to move the object from the auditing area to the drop chuteas the door assembly is moved from the closed position to the openposition.

The system described herein above, wherein the first pushing wall andthe second pushing are rigidly interconnected such that they move as asingle unit.

The system described herein above, wherein the auditing area is belowthe receiving area, such that the first pushing wall is furtherconfigured to move the object from the stationary shelf to cause it tofall into the auditing area.

The system described herein above, wherein the stationary shelf issubstantially flat.

The system described herein above, wherein the switch is a mechanicalswitch.

The system described herein above, wherein the first pushing wallcontacts the mechanical switch to activate the mechanical switch whenthe door assembly is in the closed position.

The system described herein above, wherein the representation of theobject is a photographic image of the object.

The system described herein above, further comprising an actuator, theactuator coupled to the door assembly and configured to move the doorassembly between the open and closed positions.

The system described herein above, wherein the actuator comprises aknob, wherein the knob is on an opposite side of the front panel fromthe door assembly.

The system described herein above, wherein the front panel includes aslot through which the knob moves as the door assembly is moved betweenthe open and closed positions, wherein the slot is configured to limitmovement of the door assembly.

The system described herein above, wherein movement of the door assemblybetween the open and closed positions is a sliding along a substantiallyhorizontal direction.

The system described herein above, further comprising one or more dropsensors communicably coupled to the control system, the one or more dropsensors configured to detect the product passing through the drop chute.

A system for receiving and auditing objects, according to embodiments ofthe present invention, includes a housing having a front panel, areceiving area, an auditing area, and a drop chute, wherein thereceiving area includes a shelf forming a bottom portion of thereceiving area, wherein the front panel comprises an opening; a doorassembly having a pushing wall and a second pushing wall, the doorassembly moveable with respect to the housing between an open positionin which the opening at least partially aligns with the receiving areato permit an object to be inserted through the opening and onto theshelf of the receiving area, and a closed position in which the doorassembly prevents access to the receiving area through the front panel;wherein the pushing wall is configured to move the object from the shelfinto the auditing area as the door assembly is moved from the openposition to the closed position; and a control system communicablycoupled to a camera and a switch, wherein the door assembly isconfigured to activate the switch when the door assembly is in or nearthe closed position, the control system configured to capture an imageof the object with the camera in response to activation of the switch.

A system for product delivery and audit, according to embodiments of thepresent invention, includes a door assembly, the door assembly coupledto a product delivery chute at a pivot axis, the door assembly moveablebetween a closed position and an open position by pivoting about thepivot axis; wherein the door assembly comprises an audit area, andwherein in the closed position the door assembly prevents access to theaudit area, and the audit area is configured to receive product from theproduct delivery chute; a control system communicably coupled to acamera, a door sensor, and a product sensor, wherein the control systemis configured to capture a representation of the product with the camerawhen the door sensor senses that the door assembly is in the closedposition and the product sensor senses that the product is in the auditarea; wherein in the open position the door assembly permits access tothe product for which a representation had previously been captured, andwherein in the open position the door assembly also prevents access tothe audit area and prevents access to additional products deliveredthrough the product delivery chute while the door assembly is in theopen position.

The system described herein above, wherein the door assembly is biasedtoward the closed position.

The system described herein above, wherein the product sensor is athrough-beam sensor.

The system described herein above, wherein the door assembly comprises acurved top wall and a rear panel, wherein the rear panel is configuredto receive the product when the product is received into the audit areafrom the product delivery chute, and wherein the curved top wall and therear panel block access to the audit area when the door assembly is inthe open position.

The system described herein above, wherein a product receiving surfaceof the rear panel is at a first angle when the door assembly is in theclosed position, wherein an inner bottom surface of the product deliverychute is at a second angle, and wherein the first angle is substantiallythe same as the second angle so as to permit the product to slidesmoothly from the inner bottom surface to the product receiving surface.

The system described herein above, wherein the door assembly furthercomprises a handle, wherein pulling of the handle moves the doorassembly from the closed position to the open position.

The system described herein above, wherein the camera is mounted at atop of the audit area above the door assembly.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description, which shows and describesillustrative embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings anddetailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature andnot restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side elevation view of an automated retail system,according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of the automated retailsystem of FIG. 1, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front perspective view of a product deliverybasket, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear perspective view of the product deliverybasket of FIG. 3, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front perspective view of an automated retailsystem with a rear product rack, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative front perspective view of theautomated retail system of FIG. 5, showing the product delivery basket,according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative front perspective view of theautomated retail system of FIGS. 5 and 6, according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a front perspective view of a product delivery basketand delivery door activation mechanism, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a side elevation view of the product delivery basketwith delivery door partially opened, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side elevation view of the product delivery basketwith delivery door fully opened, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative automatedretail system, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of the alternative automatedretail system of FIG. 11, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of the alternative automatedretail system of FIGS. 11 and 12, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of the alternative automatedretail system of FIGS. 11 to 13, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of a product delivery basket,according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective view of an inside of an alternativeautomated retail system enclosure, showing a product delivery chute,according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates a front perspective view of a product rack for anautomated retail system, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 18 illustrates an automated retail system, according to embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates a computer system, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 20 illustrates a front perspective view of an object receivingsystem with a door in a closed position, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 21 illustrates the object receiving system of FIG. 20, with thedoor in an open position, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 22 illustrates a front elevation view of an inside of the objectreceiving system of FIGS. 20 and 21 with the customer interface panelremoved and the door open, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 23 illustrates a front elevation view of the object receivingsystem of FIGS. 20-22 with the door in a mostly closed position,according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 24 illustrates a front elevation view of the object receivingsystem of FIGS. 20-23 with the door in a fully closed position,according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 25 illustrates a front elevation view of the object receivingsystem of FIGS. 20-24 with the door in a fully open position, accordingto embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 26 illustrates a front and left side perspective view of a productdelivery system, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 27 illustrates a front and right side view of the product deliverysystem of FIG. 26, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 28 illustrates a left side elevation cross-sectional view of theproduct delivery system of FIGS. 26-27 with the door in a closedposition, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 29 illustrates a left side elevation cross-sectional view of theproduct delivery system of FIGS. 26-27 with the door in a closedposition, according to embodiments of the present invention.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, isnot to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. Onthe contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the inventionas defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrates an automated retail system 10, according toembodiments of the present invention. Automated retail system 10includes a front product rack 14 and a rear product rack 12, as well asa rail system including a lower horizontal rail 18, an upper horizontalrail 20, and a vertical rail 16. As used herein, the term “vertical” isused to refer to a direction that is substantially parallel to adirection of a gravitational force, and the term “horizontal” is used torefer to a direction that is substantially perpendicular to thedirection of the gravitational force. For example, a vertical directionwould be a substantially parallel to the y direction indicated in FIG.2, while a horizontal direction would be substantially parallel to the xdirection indicated in FIG. 2. System 10 is also described in U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0123978, published on May 16,2013, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety for all purposes.

The automated retail system 10 may further include a delivery basket 22configured to be moved up and down along the vertical rail 16, with thevertical rail configured to move back-and-forth along the lower andupper horizontal rails 18, 20. This rail system, which may also bereferred to as a gantry or gantry system, permits the product deliverybasket 22 to be moved to any position along the front and/or rearproduct racks 12, 14 within the x-y range of motion. Once the deliverybasket 22 is moved to the desired position and the product delivery dooris opened, the product slides into the delivery basket 22. The deliverybasket 22 is then moved to the x-y position corresponding to thedelivery chute 26, where the basket trap door 24 is opened to permit theproduct to slide out of the basket 22, along the trap door 24, and intothe delivery chute 26, where it may be retrieved through the deliverydoor 28, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate front perspective views of a product deliverybasket 22, according to embodiments of the present invention. Productdelivery basket 22 includes a basket trap door 24, which extends underthe bottom of the product delivery basket 22 in a closed configuration,and a door actuator 32, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. Product delivery basket 22 further includes a sensor mount34, to which are mounted two product identification sensors 36, 37.Product identification sensors 36, 37 may be laser-based bar codescanners, camera or imaging sensors, and/or radio frequencyidentification (RFID) sensors, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The superimposed projection cones 38, 40 are included toillustrate an exemplary three-dimensional range of the sensors 36, 37,according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front perspective view of an automated retailsystem with a rear product rack 12, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The product rack 12 includes a number of productchambers or receptacles, which may be arranged into columns and rows,for example. Products may be initially loaded into the receptaclesthrough the back side 13 of the product rack 12, and then retrieved bythe basket 22 from the front side 15 of the product rack 12, accordingto embodiments of the present invention. Alternatively, products may beinitially loaded into the receptacles from the front side 15. Accordingto embodiments of the present invention, one product is loaded into eachproduct receptacle. According to other embodiments, more than oneproduct is loaded into each product receptacle.

As shown in FIG. 6, once the product is loaded into the receptacle, adoor 62 prevents the product from falling out of the receptacle. Thebottom surface of each receptacle may be sloped or ramped, downwardlyfrom the back of the rack 13 toward the front of the rack 13, tofacilitate product delivery. For example, this slope or ramp of eachreceptacle permits the product to slide easily into the delivery basket22 once the product door 62 is opened.

FIG. 6 illustrates one way in which the delivery basket 22 may be usedto open a product delivery door 62, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. According to embodiments of the present invention,the product delivery basket 22 moves only along the x-y plane, and doesnot move in the z direction (which is perpendicular to both the x and ydirections). This saves cost and expense for building the system 10, andalso simplifies and expedites product delivery. The product deliverybasket 22 includes a door actuator 32. Door actuator 32 may be a rodthat extends from the delivery basket 22 toward the product rack 12;door actuator 32 may be rigidly affixed, and/or pivotably coupled to thedelivery basket 22 at pivot point 67 and biased in a downward positionby one or more resilient members, for example spring 69, according toembodiments of the present invention. According to some embodiments ofthe present invention, door actuator 32 is not extendable or retractablein the z direction.

Each product door 62 includes a door front 64, as well as a side lever66 pivotably coupled to the door 62. A spring 72 may be attached to thedoor 62 and/or side lever 66 in order to bias the product delivery doorin a closed position (as demonstrated by door 62 b), so that the productis retained within the receptacle by the door 62 b until the door isopened by the door actuator 32. Each door 62 may also include a contactelement 68, for example a freely rotating wheel 68, configured to becontacted by the door actuator 32. As seen in FIG. 6, the contactelements 68 extend into and/or beyond the same plane within which thedoor actuator 32 moves; therefore, the control system which controls thex-y position of the basket 22 is programmed so as not to inadvertentlymove the door actuator 32 into contact with the contact elements 68.When a particular item has been selected for delivery, the controlsystem causes the delivery basket 22 to be moved to a position in whichthe door actuator 32 is directly above the contact element 68corresponding to the door 62 to be opened, and then the basket 22 (anddoor actuator 32) are moved downwardly (in a negative y direction) suchthat the door actuator 32 pushes downwardly on the contact element 68 tolower the door 62. The contact element 68 may be a freely rotatingwheel, and may include a rubber or other gripping surface to preventslippage, while rotating to prevent binding as the door 62 is opened,according to embodiments of the present invention. Door 62 b is depictedin a closed position, while door 62 c is depicted in a partially openedposition, and door 62 is depicted in a fully opened position. The doorsdirectly above and below door 62 are also depicted in an open position,as well as door 62 c in a partially open position, for illustrativepurpose only; during use, normally only one door 62 is opened at anygiven time by the door actuator 32, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

The delivery basket 22 and door actuator 32 are positioned with respectto each other such that, once the door 62 is opened, the product whichwas formerly held stationary behind the door 62 then slides over thedoor 62 (which has been opened to form a downward sloped ramp) and intothe basket 22. As discussed above, the inside 42 of the basket 22 mayalso be sloped to as to accommodate the downward slide of the releasedproduct. After product release into the basket 22, the door actuator 32and basket 22 may be raised to permit the door 62 to close (e.g. viaspring action 72), or the door actuator 32 and basket 22 may be moved ina positive or negative x direction to slip the door actuator 32 off ofthe contact element 68, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

As shown in FIG. 8, once the desired product has been received into thebasket 22, the basket 22 may be moved along the x-y plane until it ispositioned directly above a trap door actuator 84. The trap door 24 ofthe basket 22 pivots about pivot point 44 (see FIG. 4), and includes acontact element 82, which may be similar to contact element 68previously described. When the basket 22 is lowered from the positionshown in FIG. 8, the contact element 82 contacts the trap door actuator84, and the trap door 24 is opened. FIG. 9 illustrates the trap door 24in a partially open position, and FIG. 10 illustrates the trap door 24in a fully opened position. Once the trap door 24 is opened, the productslides or falls by gravity into the delivery chute 26, and may beretrieved by a user through a delivery door 28.

According to embodiments of the present invention, each door 62 includesa transparent window 64, which permits the scanner 36 or scanners,imagers, RFID transceivers, and/or cameras, at any desired time, to movealong the x-y plane and take inventory of the automated retail system10. This facilitates loading or stocking of the system 10 with newproduct, and also facilitates inventory tracking and control. When auser manually loads new products into the product rack 12, the basket 22moves to positions corresponding to each product bin, and scanningsystem 36 determines the contents of each receptacle and/or location ofeach inventory item. This prevents the inventory personnel from havingto place certain products in certain locations, and/or having tomanually indicate to the system 10 the actual bin location of eachproduct. Optionally, the scanning system 36 may be used to confirm thecontents of a particular bin before the door to that bin is opened,and/or to confirm the absence of the contents of a particular bin at anytime. The system 10 may also be programmed to automatically scan theinventory at certain time intervals, for example every eight hourperiod. The system 10 can also make a note of bins for which aninconclusive scan was performed, and create a flag for later follow-upby a technician, and to remove the problem bin from the immediatelyavailable retail inventory of the system 10.

The sensors/scanners 36 and/or 37 may also be used to sense or scan thedelivery of a product from the bin into the basket 22, and/or from thebasket 22 into the delivery chute 26. Other different sensors and typesof sensors may also be used for these purposes. For example, each door62 may include a door position sensor 70 (see FIG. 6) configured toconvey a signal indicating a position of the door 62 to the controlsystem. This may be a simple “open/closed” indication, and/or mayinclude an incremental or relative position of the door, according toembodiments of the present invention. Other optical, camera, imager,laser, and/or RFID sensors may be included in, on, and/or near thebasket 22 in order to sense or confirm product location and/or delivery.For example, sensor 63 on the basket 22 may be used to sense the passageof a product from within a bin in the rack 12 to within the basket 22,and sensor 61 on the trap door 24 may be used to sense the passage of aproduct from within the basket 22, down the trap door 24, and into thedelivery chute 26, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Although a particular trap door 24 mechanism is described herein, othertrap door-type mechanisms, as well as other non-trap door-typemechanisms, may be used to retain the product on or within the basket 22between the time the basket 22 receives the product and the time thebasket 22 conveys the product to the delivery chute 26, according toembodiments of the present invention. For example, the basket 22 mayinclude a bottom which slides out horizontally from under the basket 22to release a product therein.

Although FIGS. 5-10 illustrate the door opening and product retrievalfrom the rear product rack 12, the basket 22 and rail system may also beused to open doors and retrieve products from the front product rack 14in a similar manner, according to embodiments of the present invention.The basket 22 may include another door actuator extending from thebasket 22 in a direction toward the front product rack 14, similar tohow the door actuator 32 extends toward the rear product rack 12.According to embodiments of the present invention, the vertical and/orhorizontal placement of the bins of the front product rack 14 may beoffset in an x and/or y direction with respect to the correspondingplacement of the bins of the rear product rack 14, to facilitatemovement of the basket 22. According to other embodiments of the presentinvention, the bins of the front product rack 14 are not offset withrespect to the bins of the rear product rack 12, and the basket 22 anddoor actuators 32 are simply maneuvered around the contact elements 68of each door to avoid accidental collisions as the basket 22 is movedalong the x-y plane.

FIGS. 11-14 illustrate operation of an automated retail system similarto system 10, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of a product delivery basket 22′,according to embodiments of the present invention. Product deliverybasket 22′ may include some or all of the features or characteristicsdescribed with respect to product delivery basket 22, and productdelivery basket 22 may include some or all of the features orcharacteristics described with respect to product delivery basket 22′,according to embodiments of the present invention. Product deliverybasket 22′ includes a basket trap door 24′, which extends under thebottom of the product delivery basket 22′ in a closed configuration, anda door actuator 32′, according to embodiments of the present invention.Instead of having a laterally adjacent sensor mount 34 like basket 22,the sensor mounts 34′ of basket 22′ are on the basket 22′ itself,according to embodiments of the present invention. A productidentification sensor 36′ is located on the sensor mount 34′, and asimilar product identification sensor may be located on another sensormount on the other side of the basket 22′, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. Product identification sensors 36′ may belaser-based bar code scanners, camera or imaging sensors, and/or radiofrequency identification (RFID) sensors, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The superimposed projection cones 38′, 40′ areincluded to illustrate an exemplary three-dimensional range of thesensors 36′, according to embodiments of the present invention.

Basket 22′ may operate similarly to basket 22, according to embodimentsof the present invention. According to some embodiments of the presentinvention, the door actuators 32′ are retractable and extendable, tofurther facilitate the navigation of the basket in the x-y coordinatesystem over the various compartments. For example, when the basket 22′is moved along the gantry system in the x-y directions, the dooractuators 32′ may be retracted so that they do not catch on or otherwiseinterfere with the hardware of the display rack (e.g. the door actuatorsor the compartments themselves). The door actuators 32′ may be extendedwhen a particular compartment is selected for opening, according toembodiments of the present invention. Although the basket 22′ is shownwith two opposing door actuators 32′, the basket 22′ may alternativelyinclude only one door actuator 32′, or more than two door actuators 32′,depending on the arrangement of the front and/or back panels and theparticular door opening mechanisms used. The door actuators 32′ may beactuated with an electronically controlled solenoid 74 and pivot arm 76,or with various other electronically controlled or other mechanisms,according to embodiments of the present invention. Basket 22′ alsoincludes a trap door 24′ and contact element 82′ which operate similarlyto trap door 24 and contact element 82, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective view of an inside of an alternativeautomated retail system enclosure or housing 1, showing a productdelivery chute 26′, according to embodiments of the present invention.Product delivery chute 26′ and trap door actuator 84′ operate similarlyto product delivery chute 26 and trap door actuator 84, according toembodiments of the present invention. The basket 22′ may be moved tojust above the trap door actuator 84′ and lowered until contact element82′ catches on trap door actuator 84′, thereby opening the trap door 24′and causing the dispensed product to fall from the basket 22′ into thedelivery chute 26′, according to embodiments of the present invention.The delivery chute 26′ may include one or more lighting and/or sensingapparatus 93, 94 configured to identify the receipt of a product at thebottom of the chute 26′ and/or to scan the product at the bottom of thechute 26′ to identify and/or confirm the identity of the product,according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, system93 may create a light curtain across the delivery chamber which isinterrupted when a product arrives. The delivery chute 26′ may include adelivery door 90, for example a door 90 which slides up and down ontracks 91 and has a handle 92 for lifting the door, according toembodiments of the present invention. According to embodiments of thepresent invention, the opening of door 90 is locked until a product isready to be retrieved from the chute 26′.

FIG. 16 also shows an auxiliary bin 95. Auxiliary bin 95 may also have atrap door actuator 84′. Products may be delivered by the basket 22′ tothe auxiliary bin 95 in much the same way that they are delivered to thedelivery chute 26′, by positioning the basket 22′ over the door actuator96 and lowering the basket 22′ until contact element 82′ catches on thedoor actuator 96, thereby opening the trap door 24′ and causing anyproduct within the basket 22′ to fall into the auxiliary bin 95. Theauxiliary bin 95 may be used to receive items which have expired, itemswhich require additional attention before being dispensed, and/or itemsto be disposed of, for example. The auxiliary bin 95 may also be used bybasket 22′ to open the trap door 24′ in situations in which the controlsystem for the basket 22′ cannot determine the identity of a particularproduct and/or cannot determine whether a product is in the basket 22′.The auxiliary bin 95 may also be used to release products in cases inwhich the basket 22′ detects or suspects the presence of more than oneor of too many products within the basket 22′, to prevent thedispensation of too many products or unknown products, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates a front perspective view of a product rack 2 for anautomated retail system, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The rack 2 includes compartments as described above, witheach compartment having a width W and a height H, according toembodiments of the present invention. The rack 2 may be formed ofvarious plates, which may be metal or plastic or other rigid orsemi-rigid material. For example, the bottom of each chamber may beformed of a bottom plate 100, and the sides of each chamber may beformed of vertical plates 99. A spacer plate 98 may be located betweenadjacent vertical panels 99, and may in some cases operate as a stop forthe door 62′ when the door 62′ is fully opened, according to embodimentsof the present invention. These sheets or plates 98, 99, 100 may be usedto create compartments which are customizable in size and easy toassemble. As described above, the plates 100 may interface with thevertical plates 99 so as to create a downward slope to permit productssitting on top of the plate 100 in each compartment to slide down overthe door 62′ when the door 62′ is opened, according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

The control system which controls the position of the basket 22 or 22′uses sensors 36, 37, 36′ which may also be configured to identifyposition or relative position. Using these sensors, the control systemcan identify the location of a compartment and determine the location ofthe basket 22 or 22′ relative to the compartment. The sensor system maybe configured to identify edges, for example the left-most and/orright-most edges of the vertical plates 99, which permit the controlsystem to position the basket 22, 22′ correctly in the x dimension. Thesensor system may also be configured to identify one or more edges 97formed as notches or breaks in the vertical plates 99, in order topermit the control system to position the basket 22, 22′ correctly inthe y dimension. As such, the same basket 22, 22′ and sensor systems maybe used with a wide variety of different compartment sizes andconfigurations. The basket 22, 22′ and sensor systems may also be usedto scan and deliver items from a rack which includes differently-sizedcompartments on the same rack, using this position identificationtechnology. This also permits the same programming to be used fordifferent rack configurations, thereby decreasing the cost of suchsystems and making them easier to physically update and/or configure.

According to some embodiments, the sensor system can scan the contentsof a compartment while at the same time identifying one or moreindicators of the location or boundary of the compartment. According tosome embodiments, multiple baskets 22, 22′ may be used simultaneously orindependently for the same or different products racks within theoverall system.

The automated retail system may include an initialization sequence orprotocol for the control system of the basket 22 or 22′, according toembodiments of the present invention. The basket 22 may begin in a“home” or starting position, for example in the upper or lower left-handor right-hand corner of a particular product rack 2, and may then usethe position sensor as the basket 22 moves to the right or left to countthe number of vertical plates 99 until it reaches a stop (either virtualor actual), and may also move up or down to count the number of verticaledge indicators 97 until it reaches a stop (either virtual or actual),to create an internal “map” of the location of each compartment. Thisinitialization sequence may be performed upon machine startup, or atregularly scheduled intervals, or when the system detects a fault stateor otherwise encounters an error. The scanning of each product in eachcompartment may be done simultaneously with or at a different time fromthis initialization sequence. Also, the initialization sequence may beperformed for one of the front and back racks and then the other, oralternatively with sensors on both sides of basket 22, may be performedsimultaneously for the front and back racks during the same pass of thebasket 22. An initialization sequence for basket 22′ may be controlledin a similar fashion.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, it may bedesirable to affirmatively indicate to the scanners or sensors 36, 37,36′ when there is no item present in a particular compartment. The doors62′ of the compartments may be transparent to permit the bar code orother identifier on an item to be scanned through the door. When thebasket 22 does not detect any item within the compartment, it may beconfigured to “jiggle” back and forth and/or up and down for a shortperiod of time in order to increase the chances of scanning an item inthe compartment. If no item is detected, then the controller maydetermine that no item is present in the compartment. According to someembodiments of the present invention, the controller then causes thebasket 22 or 22′ to open that particular compartment, and to deliver anycontents to the auxiliary bin 95. According to some embodiments of thepresent invention, a special bar code or other indicator is placed onthe top of the plate 100, such that when an item is present in thecompartment the item covers such special bar code or other indicator,such that the scanner scans only the item in the compartment, and suchthat when an item is not present in the compartment, the scanner scansthe special bar code or other indicator which indicates that thecompartment is empty. Such a special bar code or other indicator mayalternatively be placed on the outside or inside of the door 62, 62′,and operate in a similar fashion.

FIG. 18 illustrates an automated retail system, according to embodimentsof the present invention. A control system 102 is communicably coupledto the gantry system 104, actuators or other machinery (e.g. actuators32, 32′), and sensors and/or scanners or other sensing devices (e.g. 36,36′, 37, 61, 63, 70, 93, and 94). The gantry system 104 may include railsystem 16, 18, 20 and associated cables, motors, electronics, and otherhardware for moving the delivery basket 22 along the horizontal axis xand the vertical axis y, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. Control system 102 may be a personal computer or othercomputing device, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The control system 102 is capable of executing instructions to performthe steps and methods described herein, in whatever order, and excludingone or more steps and/or including one or more additional steps orrepetitions of steps, according to embodiments of the present invention.The control system 102 receives information or signals and, based onsuch information or signals, sends out control signals to cause thegantry system 104, actuators 32, 32′, and other hardware to moveaccordingly, as described herein. The control system may also receiveinformation from other hardware, not shown, for example a user interfacetouchscreen which receives selections from users of products to retrievefrom compartments. The control system 102 may also rely on other sensorsor signals not expressly shown, but which are apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art based on the present disclosure. For example,positional sensors may be used to provide the control system 102 withthe two-dimensional (or three-dimensional) position of any piece ofhardware described herein.

When a customer or requester indicates to the control system 102 that aparticular product or item is desired, the control system 102 checks itsdatabase or listing of inventory based on its last scanning routineand/or initialization sequence. The control system 102 may find multiplematches for the product or the type of product requested. The controlsystem 102 then controls the delivery basket 22 to send it, via thegantry system 104, to a particular compartment holding the particularproduct that has been requested. According to embodiments of the presentinvention, the scanner 36, 37 then scans the contents of the compartmentagain to verify again that the particular product is actually in thecompartment. Systems which rely on manual and/or pre-positioned and/orpre-programmed inventory information do not have this capability, toconfirm the presence and identity of the product just prior todispensing. Once the product is verified, the door 62 to the compartmentis opened, and the product is received in the delivery basket 22, atwhich point it may then be scanned again, or a different kind of sensormay be used to sense that the product has entered the basket 22,according to embodiments of the present invention. As such, embodimentsof the present invention include an ability to determine the size, andlayout of a customized grid of compartments, on one or both of a frontcompartment rack and a rear compartment rack, and scan and record/updatethe contents of each compartment. This may be done not only uponinitialization or startup, but also after restocking, and also at anypoint in time. Also, individual compartments can be selectively scannedto confirm their contents, for example just prior to vending the productor otherwise opening the compartment's door. This automated inventorycontrol reduces system errors, and also automates the process of takinginventory of the particular rack or racks or set of compartments.

FIG. 19 is an example of a computer system 200 with which embodiments ofthe present invention may be utilized. Computer system 200 represents anexemplary computer, which may operate as controller 102 in order toreceive inputs (e.g. from sensors) and/or provide outputs (e.g. tocontrol the gantry system and/or door actuator, among others). In thissimplified example, the computer system 200 comprises a bus 201 or othercommunication means for communicating data and control information, andone or more processing devices 202, such as a well known processor,Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), or the like, coupled with bus 201.

In this simplified embodiment, computer system 200 further comprises arandom access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device (referred toas main memory 204), coupled to bus 201 for storing information andinstructions to be executed by processing device 202. Main memory 204also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediateinformation during execution of instructions by processor(s) 202.

Computer system 200 can also include a read only memory (ROM) 206 and/orother static storage device coupled to bus 201 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processing device 202. A mass storagedevice 207, such as a magnetic disk or optical disc and itscorresponding drive, may also be coupled to bus 201 for storinginstructions and information, such as configuration files, a key storeand registration database, and the like.

One or more communication ports 203 may also be coupled to bus 201 forsupporting network connections and communication of information to/fromthe computer system 200 by way of a communication network, such as aLocal Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or the Internet, forexample. The communication ports 203 may include various combinations ofwell-known interfaces, such as one or more modems to provide networkaccess, one or more 10/100 Ethernet ports, one or more Gigabit Ethernetports (fiber and/or copper), or other well-known network interfacescommonly used in internetwork environments. In any event, in thismanner, the computer system 200 may be coupled to a number of othernetwork devices, communication devices, clients, NTMs, and/or serversvia a conventional communication network infrastructure.

Optionally, operator and administrative interfaces (not shown), such asa display, keyboard, and a cursor control device, may also be coupled tobus 201 to support direct operator interaction with computer system 200.Other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided throughnetwork connections connected through communication ports 203. Finally,removable storage media (not shown), such as one or more external orremovable hard drives, tapes, floppy disks, magneto-optical discs,compact disk-read-only memories (CD-ROMs), compact disk writablememories (CD-R, CD-RW), digital versatile discs or digital video discs(DVDs) (e.g., DVD-ROMs and DVD+RW), Zip disks, or USB memory devices,e.g., thumb drives or flash cards, may be coupled to bus 201 viacorresponding drives, ports or slots.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the system 10includes a system 300 for receiving objects. FIGS. 20-25 illustrate asystem 300 for receiving objects. System 300 may be used independently,and/or may be used in conjunction with system 10, for example on thesame kiosk or machine. For example, the system 300 may be used toreceive used objects, for dispensing and/or recycling. As one example,the system 300 may be used to receive old or used versions of productswhich are also vended in their new or refurbished form by the system 10.

When objects are received by system 300, system 300, or a relatedcontrol system 102 to which system 300 may be communicably coupled, mayperform an audit operation to create a record about the productreceived. This information may be used either concurrently orindependently at a later time to determine the type of product or objectreceived, its identity, its status, its shape, its type, and/or otherinformation about the object. For example, this documentation mayinclude a photograph of the received object. Such information may bestored along with other information about the particular transaction forwhich the object was received. For example, if a person used system 10or system 300 to provide a recyclable object and obtain payment for therecyclable object, if it was determined that the wrong kind of objectwas received by system 300, a person could look back through thecompilation of photographs of objects to determine the identity of theperson or account holder who provided the incorrect item.

System 300 includes a customer interface panel 301, which may be ahousing 12, 14 or the like, into which an object receiving window 328 isformed. A knob 303 is coupled to a door 302, and the knob 303 may beslid in order to open the door 302. Door 302 is spring loaded into anormally closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 20, according toembodiments of the present invention. When a user pushes the knob 303,for example to the left as shown in FIG. 21 (may alternatively beconfigured for pushing to the right), the door 302 opens to permitinsertion of an object into the object receiving area 305. The objectreceiving area 305 is part of the housing 330. The housing 330 alsoincludes an object auditing area 306 and an object drop chute 324. Thedoor 302 and/or the knob 303 may be spring loaded or otherwise biased tothe door closed position as shown in FIG. 20, according to embodimentsof the present invention. The knob 303 may include a neck or shaft thatrides or slides along a slot 308 formed in the customer interface panel301, according to embodiments of the present invention.

When the door 302 is opened, an object 312 may be placed into the objectreceiving area 305, as shown in FIG. 22. The object may be, for example,an object intended to be recycled, such as an aluminum can, according toembodiments of the present invention. The object 312 is placed onto ashelf 310, which according to some embodiments is a stationary shelf.Once the object 312 is inserted into the object receiving area 305, theknob 303 may be slid in the opposite direction to close the door 302over the object delivery window 328. As the door 302 closes or isclosed, the side wall 314 of the object receiving area 305 advances inthe direction indicated by arrow 332 and pushes the object 312 from theobject receiving area 305 into the object auditing area 306. The object312 falls to a bottom surface 320 of the object auditing area 306.

A switch 318 is mounted on an inside wall 334 of the housing 330. Otherswitches and/or proximity detection devices may be used instead of or inaddition to switch 318. As door 302 is opened fully, the leading wall316 makes contact with switch 318 or otherwise activates switch 318. Thecontrol system 102 (which, as described above, may be communicablycoupled to system 300) may be configured to receive a signal indicatingthat the switch 318 has been activated, and may then cause the camera304 to capture one or more images of the object 312 while the object isin the object auditing area 306, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The images may then be stored, locally and/or remotely, foruse in later auditing the objects received. Camera is mounted in or onor near the object audit area 306 such that it can take pictures of theobject 312, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The next time the door 302 is opened, for example to accommodate thereceipt of another object, the lower inside wall 322 of the doorassembly moves in a direction opposite to arrow 332. The lower insidewall 322 pushes the object 312 from the object auditing area 306 intothe object drop chute 324. The object drop chute 324 may further includeone or more drop/fall sensors 326 configured to inform the controlsystem (e.g. system 102) that an object has passed therethrough. Theobjects may drop or fall into a bin placed under the chute 324,according to embodiments of the present invention. Drop/fall sensors 326may also be used to indicate to the control system that a bin or stackof objects below the chute 324 is full, for example if sensors detectpresence of something within the chute 324 for a longer period of timethan associated with a falling object. Accordingly, the same action thatmoves the door 302 from the closed to the open position also moves anyobject that was in the object auditing area 306 into the object dropchute 324 and into a receiving bin (not shown).

System 300 permits objects to be inserted through the object receivingwindow 328 only when the door 302 is open, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The arrangement of the sizes and shapes of thedoor 302 and the door assembly prevent access to the object 312 and/orthe object auditing area 306 when the door 302 has been closed, and alsoprevent access to the object auditing area 306 and camera 304 at alltimes. This prevents tampering with the object 312 or the audit process.The system 300 thus permits easy receiving, auditing, and dropping of anobject into an underlying bin all with a single manual action, forexample the sliding of knob 303, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The arrangement of the system 300 also minimizes the numberof moving parts, and relies on gravity and the simple sliding action ofthe door assembly for the auditing function, according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 26-29 illustrate an alternative product delivery system 400,according to embodiments of the present invention. Product deliverysystem 400 may be used along with system 10, and/or may be usedindependently of system 10, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. Product delivery system 400 includes a delivery chute 406down which the product 412 slides and comes to rest (or stops) on thebottom 428 of the door assembly, in the product audit area 420. FIG. 26shows the system 400 with the door 402 closed, while FIG. 27 shows thesystem 400 with the door 402 open. When the door 402 is closed, a doorswitch 410 senses that the door is closed. Other switches or switch-typemechanisms may be used to confirm that the door 402 is closed, accordingto embodiments of the present invention. Another sensor or group ofsensors 412, for example through-beam sensors 412, detect the presenceof a product 412 in the product audit area 420, according to embodimentsof the present invention. If the sensors 412 detect a product 412 in theproduct audit area 420, and if the switch 410 detects that the door 402is closed, then the control system 102 (to which system 400 may also becommunicably coupled) causes the camera 416 to gather information aboutthe product 412, for example visual information in the form of one ormore photographs. Such information or photographs may be stored, locallyand/or remotely, in order to audit information about product delivery.For example, if a customer alleges that the wrong product was delivered,or that no product was delivered, the records associated with aparticular sale (for example sale of a product by system 10) may beretrieved and the audit information (e.g. photograph of the product inthe delivery bin/audit area 420) compared with the information about thetransaction.

After the audit information gathering has taken place in the productaudit area 420, the door 402 may be opened, for example by the customerpulling on the door handle 404, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. According to some embodiments of the present invention, thedoor 402 includes a front panel 422, a rear panel 418, a curved backwall 414, side walls 424, 426, and a bottom 428. The front panel 422prevents access to the audit area 420 when the door 402 is closed. Whenthe door is open, the curved back wall 414 prevents delivery of anyproduct into the door 402 when the door 402 is open (thereby preventinginadvertent delivery of extra product or product which has not been paidfor). The door 402 pivots about a pivot axis 430, according toembodiments of the present invention. System 400 permits secure productdelivery and accurate tamper-proof auditing of product delivery,according to embodiments of the present invention.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplaryembodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer toparticular features, the scope of this invention also includesembodiments having different combinations of features and embodimentsthat do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, thescope of the present invention is intended to embrace all suchalternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope ofthe claims, together with all equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for receiving and auditing objects,comprising: a housing having an opening, a receiving area, an auditingarea, and a drop chute, wherein the receiving area includes a shelfforming a portion of the receiving area; a door assembly moveable withrespect to the housing between an open position in which the opening atleast partially aligns with the receiving area to permit an object to beinserted through the opening and onto the shelf of the receiving area,and a closed position in which the door assembly prevents access to thereceiving area through the opening; wherein a first portion of the doorassembly is configured to move the object from the shelf into theauditing area as the door assembly moves from the open position to theclosed position; and a control system communicably coupled to a cameraand a switch, wherein the door assembly is configured to activate theswitch when the door assembly is in or near the closed position, thecontrol system configured to capture a representation of the object withthe camera in response to activation of the switch; wherein a secondportion of the door assembly is configured to move the object from theauditing area to the drop chute as the door assembly is moved from theclosed position to the open position.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe door assembly further comprises a third portion that prevents accessto the receiving area through the opening in the closed position.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the door assembly andthe second portion of the door assembly are rigidly interconnected suchthat they move as a single unit.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein theauditing area is below the receiving area, such that the first portionof the door assembly is further configured to move the object from theshelf to cause it to fall into the auditing area.
 5. The system of claim1, wherein the shelf is substantially flat.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the switch is a mechanical switch.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the door assembly further comprises a third portion thatcontacts the mechanical switch to activate the mechanical switch whenthe door assembly is in the closed position.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the representation of the object is a photographic image of theobject.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator, theactuator coupled to the door assembly and configured to move the doorassembly between the open and closed positions.
 10. The system of claim1, wherein movement of the door assembly between the open and closedpositions is a sliding along a substantially horizontal direction. 11.The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more drop sensorscommunicably coupled to the control system, the one or more drop sensorsconfigured to detect the object passing through the drop chute.
 12. Asystem for product delivery and audit, the system comprising: a housing;a door assembly coupled to the housing at a pivot axis, the doorassembly moveable between a closed position and an open position bypivoting about the pivot axis; wherein the housing defines an auditarea, and wherein in the closed position, the door assembly preventsaccess to the audit area and the door assembly is configured to carryproduct in the audit area; a control system communicably coupled to acamera, a door sensor, and a product sensor, wherein the control systemis configured to capture a representation of the product with the camerawhen the door sensor senses that the door assembly is in the closedposition and the product sensor senses that the product is in the auditarea; wherein in the open position the door assembly permits access tothe product for which a representation had previously been captured, andwherein in the open position the door assembly also prevents access tothe audit area and prevents access to additional products delivered viathe housing.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the door assembly isbiased toward the closed position.
 14. The system of claim 12, whereinthe product sensor is a through-beam sensor.
 15. The system of claim 12,wherein the door assembly comprises a curved top wall and a rear panel,wherein the rear panel is configured to receive the product when theproduct is received in the audit area, and wherein the curved top walland the rear panel block access to the audit area when the door assemblyis in the open position.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein a productreceiving surface of the rear panel is at a first angle when the doorassembly is in the closed position, wherein an inner bottom surface ofthe housing is at a second angle, and wherein the first angle issubstantially the same as the second angle so as to permit the productto slide smoothly from the inner bottom surface to the product receivingsurface.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the door assembly furthercomprises a handle, wherein pulling of the handle moves the doorassembly from the closed position to the open position.
 18. The systemof claim 12, wherein the camera is mounted at a top of the housing abovethe audit area and the door assembly.